Perhaps it was this lack of enthusiasm for his poetry that led Afanasy Fet to enlist in the military (1845), or possibly it was an attempt to prove his right to his noble heritage. While in the military, he continued to publish his poetry.

In 1857, Fet married the sister of prominent criticV.P. Botkin, and by 1860, the Fets had retired to a country estate, to live a life of semi-retirement. At this time, he cultivated a friendship with Tolstoy, and continued to write poems glorifying death. In 1881, he translated the works of Schopenhauer into Russian.

In 1889, he was given an appointment2 as Kammerherr (chamberlain) at the Imperial court, but only had three years to enjoy it before he died in 1892.